Former Long Island Rough Riders legend Chris Armas has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on the Veterans Ballot, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Armas performed for the Rough Riders from 1994-95 and was a vital member of the team in his second season that captured the U.S. Interregional Soccer League title.
A midfielder who was a longtime star in Major League Soccer and the U.S. men’s national team, Armas played the first 12 MLS seasons of the league, initially for the Los Angeles Galaxy and later for the Chicago Fire.
He was named to the MLS Best XI five times, in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003. He played in the MLS Cup four times: in 1998 (when he was on the winning side), 2000 and 2003 with Chicago and 1996 with Los Angeles.
The Brentwood, N.Y. native played 66 internationals for the USMNT between 1998 and 2002. He was part of the 2002 World Cup roster before suffering an ACL injury in one of the team’s warmup matches, which left him out of the tournament.
Armas has also been a successful coach with stints at the New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, an assistant at Leeds United and currently the Colorado Rapids.
Former teammate Marcelo Balboa, a 2005 Hall of Fame inductee, surprised Armas with the news of his election at the Rapids headquarters in Commerce City, Colo.
Armas coached his sons on the N.Y. Hota/Bavarians Under-23 team in the Long Island Soccer Football League’s Ryder-Vass summer tournament in 2023.
He will be inducted into the NSHOF in Frisco, Texas on May 3, 2025.